https://feserwam.org/
This interactive tool delivers “agro-input packages” based on parameters that users can select to describe their production system. Users can input West African towns, countries, or select regional climate (arid, sumi-arid, sub-humid or humid). The tool also contains filters for crop and fertilizer type including bioliquid fertilizer (BLF), though currently no crops are displayed for use of BLF. For a more advanced search, the user can click “More” and then filter for potential yield, days to maturity, pest/disease resistance, and rainfall. Agro-input packages include crop details, fertilizer recommendations, best management practices, and color-coated maps showing where the crop grows (Figure 10). Each package is downloadable.
Figure 10. Example of an “agro-input” package about cotton. Source: https://app.feserwam.org
Crops included in the tool are:
- Grains: maize, rice, sorghum, millet, wheat
- Vegetables: tomato, eggplant, onion, pepper, okra
- Legumes: cowpea, soybean, peanut (groundnut)
- Fruits: cocoa, pineapple
- Tubers: cassava, yam, sweet potato
- Other: cotton, sesame, coffee
Some variety listings don’t have as much information or diverse fertilization options lists as others. Most agro-input packages highlight hybrid seed, which is not desirable for farmers who save seed from season to season, but general recommendations and best management practices may be a good starting point to guide local practices. The tool is limited currently to the crops listed above. This tool represents the combined efforts of the International Fertilizer Development Center and West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development through USAID funding.